Hey Arnold! Season 6: Revenge of the Shadow
by Cre8ivelybankrupt87
Summary: Arnold is plagued by nightmares of a certain deceased river pirate taking everything he holds dear from him. With the support of his friends and the school psychologist, he must journey inward and confront some deep and dark feelings.
1. Chapter 1: If Not Pork Rinds, Then What?

Humid air filtered in and out of Arnold's lungs. The familiar cacophony of insects, birds and monkeys echoed across the materializing green landscape. He had been here before, more than once, and now he couldn't recount how he got here this time.

"I know this place…" Arnold said. Indeed he had seen this place before. Before him was a vast stone gorge in the midst of the jungle foliage. Last summer he and his friends had faced down their enemy in a final showdown above this very cliff, only now it was dark with heavy rain pouring down. Arnold gasped in horror as the zombified corpse of a man he never wanted to see again lurched into view. His skin had turned a sickly hue of green and his eyes were burning red. His clothes were torn and tattered, but Arnold would know his face dead or alive.

"When shadows fall… the shadow lurks… come out… come out to play, little amigo." his raspy voice hissed.

"No…" Arnold shrunk away, "No it can't be you… you're…"

"Dead?" Lasombra laughed, "Am I really? What do you think, my friends?"

He gestured to his side, and Arnold suddenly noticed to familiar people crouched at his feet, bound and gagged.

"Mom! Dad!" Arnold shouted.

"If I were dead could I do something like… this!" Lasombra's malicious grin widened as he grabbed Miles by the scruff of his shirt and casually threw him over the edge of the cliff.

Arnold screamed out in terror, "NO!"

"Off to join that treasure your family cost me… twice now!" he laughed, then turned his attention to Stella.

"No… please…" Arnold begged.

"Yes, yes, yes, where are my manners?" Lasombra playfully admonished himself, "I forgot, it's ladies first!"

The brutal madman grabbed Stella and threw her over the ledge as well.

"Mom!" Arnold wailed, but before he had time to mourn either of them another piercing voice broke through Lasombra's insane laughter.

"Arnold!" the voice of Helga appeared, "Help me!"

Arnold looked to see Lasombra suddenly holding Helga over the edge of the cliff.

"This isn't real!" Arnold shouted, "None of this is real! It can't be! This was supposed to be over…"

"Oh, I assure you," Lasombra grinned, "It is real. Thanks to you my life may be over, and for that you will not be safe from me! So long as you sleep you'll see me every night for the rest of your life!"

Lasombra grabbed Arnold by the scruff of his shirt and held him up with Helga. Arnold reached for her, but before she could take his hand, Lasombra dropped her.

"Arnold!" she screamed all the way down.

"No!" Arnold cried.

"That ugly little monkey girl has fallen hard for you." Lasombra laughed, "You should return the favor!"

And with that Arnold felt Lasombra's grip release him, just as everything around him flashed with a blinding white light, followed by utter darkness.

Arnold clasped his hand to his chest and gasped, with the shock sending him rolling out of his bed and onto the floor of his bedroom. Panting, he immediately ran down to his parents room to find them sleeping peacefully. Or at least his mother was sleeping peacefully as his father snored loudly. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief and returned to bed, but was no longer able to close his eyes.

As if in a flash, Arnold found himself sitting at his desk in Mr. Simmons class, or at least he found himself on and off sitting there. The world kept fading to black around him as he struggled to stay awake.

"Arnold?" a voice faintly.

Arnold searched for the source of the voice

"Arnold?" it came again, sounding closer and more threatening.

Arnold turned to the desk next to him and noticed the entire classroom was suddenly empty.

"Hey, Arnold!" a loud voice sounded directly in front of him. Her turned and again saw the deranged animated corpse of Lasombra glaring at him. Arnold cried out in horror but Lasombra was abruptly replaced by Mr. Simmons.

Apparently his teacher had finally snapped him back to reality, and the sound of laughter from his peers only drove it home.

"Arnold? Are you all right?" Mr. Simmons asked, "You're looking rather sickly."

"I'm fine." Arnold mumbled, "I just… didn't have my morning… coffee…"

"You drink coffee?" Gerald asked from a desk over.

"No…" Arnold answered, "But I think today should have been the day to start."

Later, at his locker, Arnold stood turning his lock over and over with his eyes closed. From close by, Helga and Gerald watched as he endlessly attempted to open it but kept nodding off and starting the combination over again.

"Now that is just sad." Gerald said, "I better help him out."

"Allow me." Helga insisted, "Delicate woman's touch needed, I fancy."

Helga grabbed Arnold by his shirt and slammed him against the locker.

"All right, what gives?" She demanded, "You're making me sleepy just looking at you. What's going on with you?"

"Didn't get much sleep." he said.

"Uh, doi, but why?" she asked, "Grandma take up midnight rooftop piano again?"

"I wish…" Arnold sighed, "At least that would be somewhat soothing…"

"Well what's the matter then?" Helga kept pressing, then asked in a mocking voice, "Did little Arnold have a scary nightmare?"

Arnold looked at her with despair in his eyes. Helga realized she'd unwittingly hit the nail on the head and released him from her grip.

"Arnold?" Gerald came over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "You okay, buddy?"

"He's having nightmares." Helga said, "Ghost bride nightmares? Ghost train nightmares? Wally nightmares? Or something else?"

Arnold looked at them both and after an ominous pause uttered, "Lasombra."

Helga abruptly no longer appeared hostile and looked as concerned as she was capable of looking, and Gerald too fixed him with a sympathetic eye.

"If we're going to talk about this, can we talk about it elsewhere?" he asked.

Helga and Gerald nodded, then helped him down the hallway to the doorway leading outside. When they reached the bench on the playground, Arnold at last tried to explain.

"I kept having these dreams all summer," he said softly, "Just, reliving the whole San Lorenzo trip, and then waking up in terror… thinking it had all been a dream."

"Mm, mm, mm, that's rough," Gerald said, "For all the good you've done, life really ought to just give you something with no strings attached for once."

"No such thing as a free lunch, Geraldo," Helga huffed, "I ought to know. Miriam forgot mine again. Still, that's gotta bite."

"Yeah well, it got worse." Arnold said, "Eventually I got used to it and would always wake up knowing the truth. That's when the dreams started to shift…"

"How so?" Gerald asked.

"Let's just say the whole trip started having an alternate ending," Arnold said, "Lasombra… he…"

"I think I can guess," Helga shuddered, "How long have you been having these?"

"About a month…" Arnold said, "They just keep getting worse, and now I think they're affecting my…" He paused for a long yawn, "…sleep."

"Well you're not gonna be much good to us on the baseball field asleep at short stop." Helga shook her head, "Haven't been eating pork rinds, have you?" she asked.

"Um, no?" Arnold reacted in confusion.

"Well, this is beyond my knowledge then. We'd better get an expert opinion." she shouted across the playground, "Yo, Feebs!"

Phoebe, who had been conversing with a few other girls heard Helga and came flitting over and sat down next to Gerald.

"What is it Helga?" she asked.

"Arnoldo here's having some sleep issues." she said, "You cracked the mystery on my little bout with sleepwalking that one time, so we need your expertise."

"Oh I wouldn't say I'm an expert," Phoebe said, "I just know that nightmares are commonly just a series of isolated images without any real emotional connection to the person in question. Though, in worse cases they can evoke feelings of abject terror, normally tied to some deep unaddressed psychological issue that can lead to extreme anxiety resulting in insomnia or other disturbing emotional responses."

The other three kids stared at Phoebe wide-eyed.

"Hmm, the second one," Helga said, "I think the football head is dealing with that. It sounds like he's dealing with something pretty serious. So what do we do?"

"I don't really know," Phoebe shrugged, "As I said I'm not an expert on tween boy psychology. Arnold may want to seek out the advice of a more learned adult."

"If only we knew someone…" Helga sighed, "Oh well. Guess you'll just have to sleep it off. Good luck, Arnoldo, I've got stuff to do. Come on, Feebs, you can come sort beepers for me."

"Coming." Phoebe said, waving goodbye to Gerald as he watched them head off.

"Glad that Helga is so generous and caring these days," Gerald sighed, "Come on, buddy. I'll make sure you get home safe. Arnold?"

Gerald turned back to see Arnold face down and asleep on the picnic table.

That night at the Sunset Arms, Arnold sat at the dinner table with his parents. Arnold hadn't said a word, leading his parents to assume something was wrong.

"Dad warned me about this…" Miles said, "What did he call it… an 'oh so painfully illuminating boyhood problem' I think? Well, Arnold what's wrong?"

Arnold looked at his dad and said, "Just having some nightmares… about Lasombra."

His parents looked at one another with concern. Suddenly a new voice shouted, "LASOMBRA?"

From the kitchen doorway they saw Grandpa Phil standing there looking terrified.

"Which one was he again?" Grandpa scratched his chin, "Was he the big oily guy in the nice suit who tried to knock down the neighborhood?"

"No… that was Scheck." Arnold corrected. "Lasombra was the river pirate in San Lorenzo."

"Oh that's right." Grandpa chuckled, "Two very different types of villainy… though arguably both very capitalistic in their ultimate motives…"

"Thanks, Phil," Stella cut him off, "We took him on once. It wasn't so bad… but it must have been scary for a bunch of eleven year olds…"

"What should I do?" Arnold asked.

"Well, Arnold, let me tell you…" Miles said slowly, "I have no idea."

Both Arnold and Stella looked at Miles with half-lidid stares of disappointment, while Grandpa laughed.

"You are your father's son…" he chuckled. "I'm so proud of you, Miles."

Stella stepped over to Arnold and wrapped her arms around him, "Just remember Arnold, you're home safe and we're never going to leave you again. And Lasombra? He's gone. He can't hurt you or anyone else ever again."

Arnold nodded.

"He's down at the bottom of a gorge thousands of miles from here at the bottom of a river." she continued.

Arnold recoiled slightly at that mention, not wanting to dwell on the idea, but Stella kept trying to comfort him unaware she was now unnerving him.

"He's stone cold dead and should be thankful, because if I had gotten my hands on him I'd have-"

"Thanks mom." Arnold cut her off, "I get it."

Miles placed his hands on Stella's shoulders and said, "Yeah. Your mom's here to protect us both. There's nothing to be afraid of, Arnold."

All three of them suddenly jumped as the shrieking sound of laughter shocked them out of their little family moment. Grandma Gertie bursted onto the scene, puppeteering the head of a huge Chinese dragon puppet, followed by Oskar, Ernie and Mr. Hyunh all propping up the body and tail of the beast.

"Happy year of the Dragon!" she cackled as her parade of dragon dancers ran through the room, all laughing wildly as they went.

"Pookie!" Grandpa went running after them, "Put that away! We've been over this! It's the year of the pig!" Calm washed over the dining room as quickly as the chaos had come.

"Mostly nothing to be afraid of." Miles corrected himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Arnold on the Couch

The sun set and rose again over Hillwood, signaling the beginning of another school day for the students of PS118, and another trying day of staying conscious for one in particular.

As Helga rounded the corner with Phoebe on their way to school the next morning, they came across Arnold and Gerald as usual, though with Gerald propping up Arnold and helping him to walk.

"More nightmares?" Helga asked.

"Yeah… and it's every bit as fun as you'd think watching a madman take everything from you…" he said. "And finding yourself powerless to stop it…"

"We'd better find a way to help," Gerald said, "I don't know how many more walks like this my back can take."

"Y'know, even I've had the odd nightmare or two in my time about some big scary entity giving me trouble." Helga said, "But I always found a way to deal with it."

"Really?" Arnold asked, "How?"

"Oh, I just resolve nightmares like I resolve my problems in real life," Helga raised a fist, "By pounding the living crap out of them. Only it's a dream so I have super human strength and the ability to see through walls. And I'm usually president of the US. It's a good time."

"Dream large, girl," Gerald mused, "Dream large. But yeah, I mean... Arnold? You'e many things, but a pushover? Come on, I mean, didn't your grandma teach you martial arts?"

"Well, yeah but... I'm a little rusty." Arnold said, "I didn't exactly stay in practice."

"Aw, come on, isn't it like riding a bike? Once you figure it out you never forget?" Gerald asked, "I bet it'd all come back to you. Especially since we're talking dream logic here."

"So I should just… try punching him?" Arnold asked.

"Maybe," Helga shrugged, "It's just a matter of turning dreams into something empowering. I did that, but of course I had the guidance of-" Helga snapped her fingers, "That's it! Why didn't I think of that before? Oh Helga, you are one slow burn genius."

"What are you talking about?" Gerald asked.

"Arnold, do I have a friend for you…" Helga grinned at him. "C'mon, let's get to school and get you signed up…"

The following Thursday, Arnold found his way to the office building where the school psychologist met with students after school. Outside of the building he spotted Helga, cross-armed and leaning against a street sign, clearly waiting for him.

"Oh good, you showed up." she said, "Look, don't worry, this woman is great at what she does. Just look at me! She took an angry, bitter, violent kid and made me who I am today: a slightly less angry, bitter, violent kid… but you'll probably be an easier case. You're way less complicated."

"Okay." Arnold said unenthused. "Thanks."

"Just trust me, she can help," Helga patted Arnold on the back, "Just be sure to remind her of her professional code of secrecy… you know, if she starts saying too much about… well, never mind. Just go have a good session."

A few minutes later, Arnold knocked on the door of the office of the school psychologist.

"You must be Arnold." Dr. Bliss said warmly, "Come in."

"Um, thanks." Arnold said.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, "Yahoo soda, tea, water?"

"No, that's okay." Arnold shook his head, "Thank you."

He looked around her office. It had a strangely comforting aura about it, helped in no small part by the doctor herself. Something about her voice just sounded so disarming and reassuring, which had to have been a skill she had cultivated from working with hundreds of kids before him.

"Well all right," she said, "What a contented young man."

"Sure." Arnold said, "I uh… never really considered therapy before."

"Very few people do." Dr. Bliss smiled.

"Sorry," Arnold said, worried he'd insulted her, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just…"

"It's all right Arnold." Dr. Bliss reassured him, "Therapy is something people look into for a lot of reasons, sometimes just for the simple reason of having too much on their minds. And I hope I'm not assuming too much, but you look like you have a lot on your mind."

"You could say that." Arnold nodded.

"Well, your teacher Mr. Simmons says you've been having trouble concentrating in school owing to a lack of sleep." Dr. Bliss said, looking over her notes.

"Yeah…" Arnold said.

"Don't be embarrassed, he had nothing but nice things to say about you. Well, we needn't get right into the nitty gritty. Let's keep it light to start. What should we talk about?" she asked, "Tell me a little about yourself."

It was no wonder to Arnold that this woman had won Helga over. Helga rarely spoke highly about any adult, but Dr. Bliss clearly had some kind of masterful calming effect, which Arnold immediately trusted in. He reclined on the couch and began listing off a few of his hobbies, his interests in jazz music, sports, a few little factoids about his life at the boarding house and things at school. Dr. Bliss listened closely, jotting down the occasional note on her pad. When Arnold came to the subject of his parents he stopped himself, not wanting to go into that whole complicated scenario too deeply. Of course, he realized they directly tied into the source of his nightmares, and that was why he was here, so he'd have to touch on it somehow.

"This is all going to sound weird," Arnold said, "But, I grew up with my grandparents as my guardians, after my parents left."

Dr. Bliss nodded, "I see. That's not as uncommon as you'd think."

"Well, the weird part is that my parents flew off to a Central American rain forest when I was just one, and I didn't see them again until this past summer." he said, "How common is that?"

Dr. Bliss looked slightly taken aback, "I'll admit, that's a first for me. But… you said they're back now?"

Arnold nodded, "Yeah… this summer my friends and I… we…" Arnold paused, not even sure how much of his story anyone would actually believe, so he decided to be sparse with details, "Well, my parents came home finally. And it's been great having them back. They're good people, so I don't want you to think I have abandonment issues or something."

"Not at all." She said, "It sounds like you're very thankful to have them back."

"I am." he said, "Incredibly. It's all been great, like a dream come true but… but that's the thing. For a long time I was… I was afraid it was a dream. And I'd never really found them."

"I see." Dr. Bliss nodded, "Does that bother you often?"

Arnold nodded, "Well, for a long time I kept waking up thinking they had never come back, then I'd run down the stairs and find them. It was kind of terrifying every time…"

Dr. Bliss gave a sympathetic look, then said, "How have you been coping with that?"

"Well…" Arnold thought about it, "I guess over time I just started to get used to it, and eventually I was able to just tell myself that it was real. But then… then my dreams started to get worse."

Arnold stopped to think carefully about how he could dance around his family's sorted history with Lasombra. He vaguely described how he felt something was threatening to take away the family he had long wished for, without recounting the full details of how he and his friends had been kidnapped by a notorious thief and killer in the middle of the jungle. Doctor Bliss looked at him with searching eyes, as if sensing he wasn't giving the full picture, but she seemed to respect that.

"So this thing in my dream, let's call it… the shadow, it keeps taking them away. And not just my parents, but other people I'm close to." Arnold said, "And I can't stop it…"

"Do you think you should be able to?" Dr. Bliss asked pointedly.

"Yes." Arnold said, "I should be able to protect them! But I just can't… I always feel so small and helpless."

"Interesting," Dr. Bliss said, "Outside of your dreams, do you still feel anxious about people in your life? About their safety?"

Arnold again hadn't really thought about that until this moment. Sure, he cared enough about people to involve himself in their problems, but he didn't think he ever actively worried about people all the time.

"I guess I have a bit of a reputation as… I don't know, some kind of do-gooder." Arnold shrugged, "People come to me for help and I always do the best I can for them but… a lot of times I just can't solve their problems… like, my friend Helga for instance…"

Arnold knew Helga met with Dr. Bliss occasionally, and for a split second he noticed her face light up.

"… well, she's unhappy a lot, mostly because her parents aren't the nicest, and I always try to make things better but… sometimes I just can't."

Dr. Bliss nodded her head, and while she didn't say anything Arnold recognized the knowing look in her eye.

"It sounds to me like you're being a little hard on yourself, Arnold." Dr. Bliss said, "And that's very common for a boy your age."

"Really?" Arnold asked.

"Yes," Dr. Bliss nodded, "You're at an age where not much is in your control, and that can be very overwhelming, especially when things are changing so fast. But it also sounds to me like you're taking on more responsibility than most kids I've met, and you're carrying a very heavy burden. And that's not fair to you."

Arnold pondered that notion. It was true, even if he had never really thought about it, but he really had taken care of his grandparents virtually as much as they had taken care of him through most of his childhood. That was to say nothing of everything he did for the boarders or any of his friends. To Arnold none of that was a matter of responsibility or duty of course, he simply saw it as the right and natural thing to do to help anyone in need. He never saw anyone in his life as a burden… well, maybe Oskar.

"I guess I'm always willing to help if I'm needed," he said, "Even if I feel like people don't really deserve it, or if it seems impossible, it's just… what I do. I guess I'm just weak like that."

"I wouldn't say that." Dr. Bliss smiled.

"Is any of this helping?" Arnold asked, "I'm sorry if I'm not giving you a clear picture…"

"Well, I can't promise we're going to solve everything in one session, Arnold, but we can definitely try to think of some strategies to move forward." Dr. Bliss said, "From everything you've told me, I think these nightmares of yours are pointing to something you blame yourself for."

Blame himself for? That sounded harsh, but then Arnold figured maybe that was true. In the course of his life he had occasionally harmed others unintentionally, be it Eugene or Iggy or Helga, but he had always made a huge effort to attempt to mitigate what he'd done after the fact. Still, there were times when he found himself faced with the limits of his own abilities, which was always a bitter pill to swallow.

"I just feel like I don't have any control…" Arnold sighed, "And in my nightmares I just feel so… I don't know… weak."

"You're not weak, Arnold. You care very deeply for other people." Dr. Bliss said, "That's a strength."

"Really?" Arnold asked.

"Of course. You obviously have a very big heart. That's a trait people tend to undervalue, but it's definitely not a weakness." she said, "If I were to guess, I would say that your dreams are stemming from two fears; you're afraid of losing people close to you, and you're also beating yourself up for not being able to always solve everyone's problem. And both of those fears seem to come from you feeling a lack of control. Arnold, I think it's wonderful that you want so badly to make a positive impact on peoples' lives, but at the end of the day you have to remember that you're just a human being too, and a very young one at that. If anything, I think you owe yourself some credit."

Arnold smiled, feeling slightly perked up.

"So what do I do about Lasom- I mean… the shadowy thing in my dream?" he asked.

"Nightmares come and go," Dr. Bliss said, "Recurring ones like yours usually point to anxieties we're dealing with in our everyday life. I think if you take some time to appreciate yourself for all the things you've done for others, and accept that you can't solve everything, it might go away in time." She looked at her watch, "I think that's plenty for you to think about. The session's over, Arnold."

Arnold glanced at the clock on the wall. He'd actually filled an hour before he'd realized it.

"Wow…" he said, "That was fast."

"You had a lot to say." Dr. Bliss said, "We can talk again next week. See where you're at."

Arnold nodded as he got up and headed for the door, with Dr. Bliss walking behind him.  
"Um, just one question…" Arnold asked.

"Of course," she said.

"Um, what does…" Arnold hesitated, "What does Helga say about me?"

Dr. Bliss smiled but her eyes looked rather serious, "I'm sorry Arnold but I don't discuss what's said in anyone's session with anyone else. I won't tell her anything you said, and I can't tell you anything she has to say."

"Oh…" Arnold said, "Sorry."

"It's fine, Arnold." She said warmly, "You clearly care about her, so it's only natural to be curious. But that is my professional code."

Arnold nodded. She wouldn't give him any answers, but something about the sparkle in Dr. Bliss's eyes told him Helga had nothing but good things to say about him.

Arnold stepped out of the building and stretched his arms. He didn't exactly feel better, but at least he didn't feel any worse. It had been nice to have Dr. Bliss listen, but he still wasn't sure what to do about his nightmares.

"So what'd the good doctor prescribe?" Helga asked as she leapt out of hiding much to Arnold's shock.

"Helga?" He gasped, "Were you just waiting out here the whole time?"

"Please, I have a life outside of you, Arnold." she said, "But, yes, I was. So c'mon, how'd it go?"

"Fine I guess," he shrugged, "She thinks I'm expecting too much of myself. And that I'm afraid to lose people because I feel a lack of control… which I shouldn't have to feel… or something. Is therapy usually this confusing?"

Helga groaned in disappointment, "Criminey, I thought she'd be able to come up with something more straightforward for someone as basic as you…"

"Thank you, Helga…" Arnold sighed.  
"So let's see… you feel a lack of control, worried about losing people, and that all adds up to a dream about some psycho murdering everyone. I guess that's something to work with," Helga said thoughtfully, "Trust me, if I could join you in your dreams, then Old Betsy would have a field day with old Labozo."

"I think… I think I have to confront him," Arnold said suddenly, "It's the only way."

Helga went wide-eyed.

"Well this just got very space opera-y," she mused, "I mean, he's not even your father… or wait, what if that's the big twist in all this?"

"I don't think so." Arnold shook his head, slightly amused, "I'm just not sure how to do it… I'm just not much of a fighter This isn't like any of the stuff I try to take on here at home. Standing up to bullies is one thing, but undead Lasombra? I'm kind of amazed we got out of San Lorenzo alive… I can't just go punching all my problems… "

"I can't help but feel that was directed at me…" Helga said dryly.

"It's a compliment," Arnold placed a hand on Helga's shoulder, "I still think you're just incredible… not in the world of dreams but in real life. I don't know where you get your courage… I mean, you lead the charge and took Lasombra on for real."

Helga shrugged, "Eh. Knee-jerk reaction. I saw an opening and just went for it. The guy might've killed Eduardo if I didn't."

"He might've killed you though." Arnold reminded her.

"Come on, give yourself some credit, you joined in the fray." she insisted, "Punching my way through life may be how I solve my problems, but more often I'd say it just creates more, so…"

"I just don't think I'm as strong as you…" Arnold sighed.

To his surprise, Helga didn't even bother with one of her usual pithy comebacks, and instead adopted a very serious but comforting tone as she spoke.

"I think you are. Just in a different way." she said, "You've got to face your fear the Arnold way, not the Helga way."

"With what?" Arnold asked, "One of my 'we can do it' speeches?"

Helga pointed a finger in his face, "Will you quit berating yourself for me? That's my bit. Anyway, I'd say it was something as simple as your brush with death haunting you… or something death related."

"Something…" Arnold thought for a moment.

He had indeed had a frightful brush with death. Lasombra had kidnapped him and the others, held a machete to his throat, and even tried to throw him over a cliff. That was a lot for a young kid to go through, but at least he had come out of it alive, which was more than he could say for Lasombra himself. With that, suddenly a new thought occurred to him, and one he had never considered before. Something so awful he had more or less blotted it out of his mind.

Helga could see the revelation on his face, "What? What is it?" she demanded.

"I'm not sure…" Arnold pondered, "It could be nothing or… I gotta go."

"Want me to walk with you?" Helga asked.

"Thanks, Helga," he said, "But I think I need to think this one through on my own. Thanks for everything."

Arnold turned and headed down the sidewalk for home, leaving Helga looking confused, and then kind of resentful. She crossed her arms and slumped down onto the stoop of the building.

She grumbled to herself, "Hmpf, not even so much as a goodbye k-"

She suddenly felt a pair of lips, and turned to see Arnold sweetly planting a little peck on her cheek. With a smile, he turned and ran off again, this time leaving her far more contented.

"Oh…" she sighed dreamily, "Arnold, so gallant, so bold, off to bravely fight against unsurmountable odds…" she frowned, "…in his dreams. Yeesh, what a little wimp… how I adore him…"


	3. Chapter 3: Arnold's Battle

Arnold lay on his back in bed, staring up at the stars shining down through the glass ceiling above him. Night had fallen, and sleep would not be far behind. For weeks now he had fought against it, wishing to keep his nightmares at bay, but now he welcomed the falling darkness. He now knew what he had to do, and only hoped he could find the strength within to do it. The evening urban symphony slowly lulled him out of his own world, as everything turned to darkness around him. As the darkness gave way to light, Arnold found himself standing at the fallen rope bridge outside of the hidden city, deep in the jungle. Just has he had many times before, he surveyed his setting, and then he saw him.

There stood Lasombra, still green of hue and looking as if he were about to fall to pieces at any second, were it not for his powerful resentment from beyond the grave that drove him to continually torture the poor boy. He looked even taller than he had before, or perhaps Arnold just felt even smaller as he slunk away in fear. He had come to finally face this nightmare, but his fears were fighting back even harder. As he ducked behind some nearby bushes, he could hear the sound of Lasombra's footsteps drawing nearer.

"You can hide all you want." he called out, "But to what end? Will you spend your entire life running and hiding?"

Arnold saw flashes of the glint of light reflecting from Lasombra's blade all around as the pirate tried to find his prey.

"Stand and fight, you little coward!"

"No!" Arnold shouted, ducking behind another piece of cover.

"Then you will lose everyone you love…" Lasombra laughed.

Arnold peered around the buttress of a tree to see Lasombra again had several hostages, and not just his parents and Helga this time, but also Gerald, Phoebe, and basically all of his classmates. Even Grandma and Grandpa looked at Arnold helplessly. At last, Arnold couldn't stand it anymore, and he had to do something.

"No!" Arnold cried, as he leapt out from hiding, "I won't let you hurt them! I'm the one you want!"

"Very good…" Lasombra hissed, his eyes burning red as he stared Arnold down, "Then stand and fight…"

"I won't fight you…" Arnold said, "That's not who I am."

"Then it's the final curtain for you, boy…" Lasombra charged forward raising his weapon above his head as he prepared for a kill strike. Suddenly the unthinkable happened as Arnold shouted something neither of them ever expected.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Birds took flight from the trees around them as a hush fell over the entire jungle. Those words had somehow stopped Lasombra dead in his tracks as he stared at Arnold curiously.

"What did you say?"

"I said I'm sorry!" Arnold repeated, "I never wanted anyone to die… not even a creep like you."

Lasombra smiled sardonically as he raised his weapon again, "How touching…"

"And… and more than that…" Arnold choked out, "I forgive you…"

Lasombra's red eyes bored into Arnold's green eyes, and as he did the glowing redness began to fade away, and his expression even softened.

"Forgive me?"

"For what you did… to the Greeneyes, for putting us all in danger… even trying to kill me… I forgive you." Arnold said, feeling a strange rush of confidence, "And also… I think I should be saying thank you, too."

Lasombra laughed, "I think that football head of yours has finally deflated."

"No, I mean it." Arnold insisted, "I mean… if it hadn't been for your whole master plan, I never would have made it to San Lorenzo, or found the Greeneyes hidden city, or even saved my parents. Maybe it's not what you intended, but… you kind of made it all happen. So in the grand cosmic scheme of things… thank you."

Lasombra stared at him. Slowly his green skin began to return to its original tan hue as when he had been alive.

"You… you really do see the best in everyone, don't you?" Lasombra asked softly, "Even if they don't deserve it…"

"I just… see things like I see them…" Arnold said, almost forgetting who he was speaking to for a moment.

As Lasombra looked back at him, Arnold no longer saw the deranged, murderous pirate fueled by greed that he so feared, but a tired old man who had been beaten down by life and had fought back as only he knew how. Lasombra looked at Arnold with almost apologetic eyes.

"I was only a child about your age when I lost my own parents." he said, "Unlike you, I never saw mine again. I… I covet what you have, I suppose."

"Really?" Arnold asked.

Lasombra suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, "Probably not. I am just a figment of your subconscious fears. But that is the sort of empathetic thing you'd think of, now isn't it?" He scowled and once again looked positively monstrous, "You're a dumber football head than I thought. You're pathetically weak!"

"No he's not." came another voice.

Arnold turned around and beheld an amazing sight. All of his friends and family now stood behind him, no longer bound, and were staring down Lasombra. At the forefront stood Helga and Gerald, scowling at the man.

"My man might not be able to hurt a fly, but he has the kind of strength someone like you could never have." Gerald said firmly, "When he's able to bring out the best in everyone around him, then he'll always have people backing him. That's something you'll never have."

"You know, mostly because you're dead and stuff." Helga added.

"Inspiring good in the hearts of others." Lasombra scoffed, "How touching. Didn't work on me, did it?"

"No." Helga shook her head, "And that's why _you _were the weak one, not him. You couldn't have a change of heart even if you wanted to. Arnold helped all of us to find the good in ourselves, even if it was buried deep down." She reached into her shirt, pulled out her heart locket, and clasped it against her chest, "He saw what was in all our hearts, even if we couldn't. But in you… there's nothing. You're nothing, and you'll always be alone for that."

Then Helga, Miles, Stella, Grandpa, Grandma, Gerald, Phoebe, Harold, Stinky, Sid, Eugene, Rhonda, Nadine, and dozens of others standing behind him slowly advanced on Lasombra. All of them walked slowly towards him as he stood at the edge of the cliff with nowhere to run. Lasombra held out his machete, but suddenly it vanished, turning to smoke before his eyes. Vastly outnumbered he could only cower as Arnold's legion marched towards him. He said nothing, but slowly began to laugh maniacally. As he did however, his body slowly began to fade away, transforming into smoke in the wind, until nothing remained and the echoes of his laughter faded into silence.

"He's gone… is it finished?" Arnold asked Helga.

Helga waved her hand dismissively, "Psh, how should I know? I'm a manifestation of your subconscious feelings too. But yeah… that did feel pretty climactic, didn't it?"

"It's over." Arnold said, closing his eyes, "The nightmare is over…"

"Arnold…" Helga said with a smile, "You're not alone. You'll never be alone…"

Arnold breathed a sigh of relief, and opened his eyes to see the blue sky above him. Finally feeling at peace again, he jumped out of bed, rested and ready to face life again, comforted by the thought of not having to face it alone. His nightmares had been rooted in something he hadn't even considered before. He really did feel like a bit of a sucker for feeling sorry for the man who had tried to kill him and his friends, but it was true, he didn't want anyone to die, even someone as abjectly evil as Lasombra. He had confronted his feelings, and at last he felt ready to move forward. After dressing himself, he headed downstairs where he knew the people who loved him awaited.

"Morning mom, morning dad." Arnold announced cheerfully as he entered the dining room.

"Hey, Arnold." they both said together.

Arnold hugged them both as they looked at him with concern.

"Did you have any more nightmares?" Miles asked.

"I did…" Arnold said, "But… it actually turned out okay in the end. I think I'm gonna be okay now."

Miles and Stella exchanged looks and then smiled at their son.

"As long as you guys are around, everything will be fine." he said.

Suddenly his pet pig Abner, dressed in a fox costume went running through the room chased by Grandma Gertie, wearing a red hunting coat and riding helmet. She laughed wildly as she pursued her quarry.

"The hunt is on!" she shouted, "Pull up your socks and chase the fox!"

Grandpa Phil went running after her shouting, "Pookie! You haven't renewed your hunting permit since the forties! Pookie! Get back here ya crazy nincompoop!"

Arnold and his parents looked on somewhat dazed, but none the least bit surprised.

"And them." Arnold smiled.

As Arnold headed out the front door he spotted both Gerald and Helga waiting for him.

"You, okay, Arnold?" Gerald asked.

"I think so." Arnold answered.

"You look like you… slept well?" Helga grabbed Arnold's face and started poking and probing, "You don't have the usual dark bags under your eyes. And your eyes aren't bloodshot."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I slept pretty well last night." Arnold said, pulling away from her.

"How about the nightmares?" Gerald asked, "Figure out a way to beat Lasombra?"

"I did." Arnold announced.

"Lemme guess, you just talked it out?" Helga taunted, "Appealed to his heart?"

Arnold said nothing in return, but smiled.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me…" Helga groaned, "You're getting way to predictable in your old age. Seriously, how much more corny can you get?"

"I guess I wasn't so much afraid of him as… well, I felt bad that he died…" Arnold shrugged.

Helga and Gerald looked at him without saying a word, not that Helga needed to say a word as her expression loudly read, "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Helga then laughed and shook her head, "Only you could feel sorry for some psycho river rat that tried to kill us."

"I guess." Arnold shrugged.

"Arnold, you're bold…" Gerald said, "In all sorts of ways."

Helga kissed Arnold's cheek and hooked her arm to his, and said, "You never fail to inspire."

After a productive and fun school day, that night, as Arnold drifted off to sleep again, he smiled contentedly and eagerly awaited where his dreams would take him next.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself donned in a brown leather jacket and a tiny fedora atop his head. He looked around, seeing the usual jungle surroundings he had for so long spent his dreams in, only this time he found he wasn't alone.

"It's Lasombra! He's stolen the Corazon." Gerald shouted as he came bursting out of the woods.

"You'd think he'd have learned to stop doing that by now," Helga laughed, appearing behind him.

"Come on," Arnold said, "We've got to stop him."  
Helga threw up her hands in frustration, "With what? One of your 'we can do it' speeches? Doi!"

"Like you say, I'm a lover not a fighter," Arnold shrugged, "I'll leave that part to you."

"Right, you just fall back and look cool while I go endanger myself. Sounds good." Helga reached behind her back, pulled out a pair of machetes and started twirling them, "Let's go hunting…"

Helga dashed off ahead of Arnold and Gerald, screaming threats at the thief they sought. Arnold and Gerald smiled and took off after her. Arnold hadn't felt so alive and full of confidence in a long time, yet as he watched Helga still swinging her blades left and right he did worry this could turn into a whole new series of nightmares.

The End

* * *

_**I wanted to clarify, Arnold isn't literally thanking and forgiving Lasombra, he's just taking control of his nightmare on his own terms in a very Arnold way. I think Arnold is a good-hearted enough person to at least feel bad that he died though, even if he was irredeemable.**_

_**Honestly I just loved the Lasombra character so much I want him to be a recurring character in the new season in the form of flashbacks and dream sequences. And in my head canon they couldn't get Alfred Molina back (which would probably be the case sadly) and he'd instead be voiced by Jim Cummings or one of that crowd. That'd be cool.**_


End file.
